Over one thousand vascular plant species are known to occur within the Átl’ḵa7tsem/Howe Sound Biosphere, represented by 18216 occurrence records. This diverse flora spans nine biogeoclimatic units, from lowland coastal western hemlock forests and associated woodland communities to high elevation subalpine and alpine plant communities.
Map 1. Ecological communities
Explore the region’s flora by selecting from the biogeoclimatic units displayed on the map:
While Indigenous knowledge of Átl’ḵa7tsem’s plant life traces back to time immemorial, Western scientific documentation of the region’s flora dates to 1897, with the early collection efforts of James Anderson and Albert J. Hill. Over the last century and a half, efforts to document the regional flora were most concentrated in the 1920s, and from the 1960s through the 1980s, before expanding significantly in the 21st century with the advent of iNaturalist, with many thousands of observations made by community members through the Howe Sound Biodiversity project.
Map 2. Historical collection activities Figure 1. Historical collection activities
Through the combined efforts of 1416 individuals, the Átl’ḵa7tsem/Howe Sound naturalist community has documented 1049 species, confirming 62 percent of the historically reported vascular plant diversity and adding 415 new species reports to the list. Community members have now documented 66 percent of the plant diversity known to the region on iNaturalist.